Can We Guess Your Age From a Vocabulary Test?

By: Emily Maggrett
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Can We Guess Your Age From a Vocabulary Test?
Image: Sam Edwards / OJO Images / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Is your vocabulary letting you down? Whether you want to appear more mature than your age or trick a hot date into thinking you're a little younger than the date on your birth certificate, it's important to note that your vocabulary is just as powerful an indicator of your age as the condition of your skin. 

For instance, if your vocabulary is fairly limited, it may make people think that you're rather young or not very literate. On the other hand, nothing goes stale as quickly as slang does, meaning that using the slang terms of your youth, such as "gnarly' or "tight", can make you seem old and unfashionable before your time. 

In this quiz, we're going to ask you to interpret a number of words, from difficult GRE test words to Gen Z, Gen X, baby boomer and millennial slang. We'll also ask you about several idiomatic phrases, some of which may have been popular in your day, others of which may sound like total gibberish to you. By the end of the test, we'll have determined the exact generation you're from, down to how old you are. Your results will help you understand how old you sound to other people, which will be useful if you want to change your perceived age. Ready to find out more? Let's get quizzing!

At a local gallery, you discover an incredible digital art piece. You want to praise it. What's another word for "cool"?
Rad
Lit
Groovy
Bomb

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Your best friend tells you that her manager lambasted her. What does "lambast" mean?
It means "to criticize".
It means "to pour oil on".
It means "to read the riot act."
It means "to dance the lambast," which is a type of Latin dance.

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You've just had one of the most delightful days of your life. What's a slang synonym for "delightful"?
Awesome
Chill
Keen
Fire

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If you wanted to call your new husband handsome, you'd say he was ______
Fly
A snack
A hunk
On point

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The holidays took up a lot of your energy and your home is a disaster. Can you think of a synonym for "messy"?
Slovenly
Sloppy
At sixes and sevens
Slobbish

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Do you know what "all hat and no cattle" means?
It means that you're a fraud.
It means ... you have a hat?
It means you're not as great as you claim to be.
It means you're 100% hat, 0% cattle.

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Which of these words means "practical"?
Pragmatic
Didactic
Enigmatic
Emphatic

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If you wanted to hurt your ex-girlfriend's feelings, which of these words would you call her?
"Repugnant"
"Extra"
"Verbose"
"Desperate"

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Your grandmother asks you to "chew the fat" with her. What's she talking about?
She wants you to go out for steak with her.
She's being disgusting, I guess?
She wants to chat.
She wants to work out with you.

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What does "vitriol" mean?
It means "pure poison".
It's a type of French liqueur.
It refers to being verbally critical.
It's a stringed instrument that is played by a seated musician.

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If your 9-year-old son says something is the "GOAT", what's he saying?
I think he's being positive, but I'm not sure.
He thinks something is the "greatest of all time".
He's talking about a small farm animal.
He's praising whatever he's talking about.

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Do you know what a "whale tail" is?
It has something to do with panty lines, right?
It's, um, a gin martini with extra olives?
It's the lower part of a whale's body.
It's a gross phenomenon caused by a woman's G-string riding up over her low-rise jeans.

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At a party, you overhear your boyfriend calling you his "erstwhile girlfriend". What does that say about how he views your relationship?
He sees you as his long-term girlfriend.
He's saying that you recently became his girlfriend.
He sees you as his ex-girlfriend.
He doesn't respect you and thinks you're fake.

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What color is "puce"?
Uh ... light red?
Pink!
Grayish/brownish purple
Forest green

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If your mom complains there's "a fly in her ointment," what's she trying to tell you?
She's angry about something.
She left her Vaseline uncovered overnight.
She thinks a situation would be ideal except for one nagging detail.
She needs to take a shower.

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You think that most millennials treat their pets too tenderly. Would you say that they ______ their dogs and cats?
Coddle
Spoil
Mollycoddle
Overly treasure

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The sound of a bell suddenly rings out. An elderly man claims it is his "death knell". What does he mean?
He's saying he may soon be destroyed (for some reason?)
I don't know, but I think he's being creepy.
He's saying the bell is announcing his death.
He's saying that he wants bells rung at his funeral because he likes them.

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A magazine feature calls Gwyneth Paltrow "winsome". Do you agree?
Yeah, I guess she's winsome.
Does she really win all that often?
She's too thin to be winsome.
Well, she does make me wince.

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If someone says they're "Gucci," what are they saying?
They're claiming to be a luxury fashion brand.
They're saying that they're fine.
Lord knows!
They're saying they feel ... fancy?

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A gorgeous woman asks you to "trip the light fantastic" with her. Do you say yes?
I don't know. Is she talking about drugs?
No. I get scared and slowly back away from her.
Yes, because it means she wants to go dancing.
I say yes even though I'm confused because YOLO.

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When it comes to Twitter, what's "the ratio"?
It refers to how many people you're following vs. how many are following you.
It's the ratio of likes to comments. A "bad" ratio is lots of comments but few likes; the reverse is true for a "good" ratio.
I don't know. Does Twitter actually matter?
It's how many times your tweet gets retweeted vs. how many times your tweet is liked.

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A reviewer claims that Bjork's latest album is "discordant". Are you still interested in buying it?
Yes. Her music has always toyed with discordance.
I don't know. I am not sure what discordant means, but I don't like Bjork anyhow.
No, that sounds unpleasant to listen to.
Maybe. I don't know what discordant means but I like Bjork a lot.

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You need to tell a subordinate not to contradict you in a meeting. How do you warn him?
I tell him to help me present a united front.
I tell him to be chill.
I tell him not to gainsay me.
I tell him not to salt my game.

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Your uncle says he'll "catch you on the flip side". What's he on about?
He ... is trying to say that he'll see me later?
He's lost his mind.
He's saying that he'll see me tomorrow.
Is he ... talking about vinyl records?

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Is it still cool to say "bae"?
Yes! I love this new word.
Um, no.
Misspelling words is never "cool".
Yeah, I think so.

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You go on a field trip to the park with your English teacher and she praises the "verdant" fields. What's she saying?
She means the fields are very fertile.
She means the fields are dank.
She's saying the fields are green.
She means the fields are damp.

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A great antonym for "extol" is ...
Praise
Pay a fee
Criticize
Call out

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If a coworker says you really "screwed the pooch," what exactly is she accusing you of?
She's saying I messed up.
She's saying something pretty gross, I think.
She's saying I made an irreversible mistake.
I don't know, but I'm disturbed by it.

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Are "sick" and "sweet" dad slang or are they still relevant terms?
They're awesome slang words that will never die!
They're very much dad slang.
They're stupid new-fangled slang words and I hate them.
Gulp ... I still say "sick" sometimes.

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The opposite of "esoteric" is ... ?
Basic
Geometric
Common
Cold

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You Got: